Red String
by Ember Mage
Summary: While I was in the human world... I heard a really beautiful story. Something I'll never forget. A person with a red string tied on her hand would most likely find her destined lover on the other end of the string.


**Disclaimer: Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** does not belong to me. 

**Additional notes:** The Hippo x Yuuri fic I promised is here. Blah. All depressing and angtsy. CHEESE. TOO FLUFFY FOR WORDS.

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**Red String**

**by Ember Mage

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The ocean was cruel sometimes. But its mood had mellowed down into caressing the golden sand of the beach. Hippo shuffled his brown loafers absentmindedly, trailing faint footsteps across the damp ribbon the ocean left within each arriving wave.

Here the penguin was, in his human form, where he had unsuspectedly morphed into a few hours ago.

Why was he here? It was pointless to walk around the beach, or so he had believed, when he should be lecturing Lucia about her duties. But tonight, he felt something forlorn that only he could fathom alone.

The soft light of the moon hid the darkness left in his eyes, and he only wished that Yuuri were here right now.

_Yuuri-san_....

Since the sea demon had disappeared, Hippo hadn't been feeling the same. Sure, he managed to conceal his feelings from Lucia, Rina, and Hanon, but of course he couldn't hold it in for such a long time. Who was he kidding?

For countless nights he had dreamed of her - flashbacks of her playing her haunting melody on the grand piano, and her death. Sometimes symbolic, with Yuuri shrouded in a sphere of darkness and didn't notice Hippo was there. Occassionally, some of his reveries were calming, and she'd be there to tell him things were going to be all right.

The boy brought himself to the rocky ledge, and climbed down. The water here was deeper than by the shore, and Hippo calmly stared at his reflection in the salty mirror, seated comfortably on the stony boulder.

At first he saw the trace of a dark tropical fish, and his heart almost stopped. "Y-Yuuri-san?" he questioned the ocean, but it did not reply.

It must have been his imagination. Hippo sighed wistfully and looked at the blonde staring back up at him in the ocean. Too bad he wasn't in his self-proclaimed handsome penguin form. He closed his eyes and then opened them again. Those green eyes stared right back at him, but something was different. Hippo couldn't quite put his finger on it, until he realized it was...

He had seen them before.

It couldn't be _her_.

The pair of eyes flashed across his mind.

But... no, it couldn't be. She was supposedly gone. He had even witnessed it as her once-solid form dissolved into tiny stars, fluttering away to join the rest of her sisterly friends.

"_Yuuri-san_?!" gasped Hippo, automatically, crouching on all forms to view the ocean waters closely, almost dropping his little hat.

Nothing. Hippo was staring (rather blankly) at his own reflection. _Stop hallucinating_, he told himself. _She's not here and she will never be_...

He could feel disappointment rise, and felt his cheeks being coated red from embarrassment. It was useless. Futile.

"Hippo-san..."

Okay, now he was going nuts. First he thought he saw Yuuri and now her voice was calling to him, slightly mussed by the calm wind. But still....

He stood up on the boulder carefully, frantically tossing his head in all directions for a glimpse of Yuuri, replying,"Yuuri-san?"

She seemed satisfied, and her voice was tinged in relief. "Hippo-sama!"

"Where are you?"

A faded hand reached to touch his face, and Hippo stopped for a moment.

"Yuuri.... san?"

The hand belonged to a small girl standing before him.

Jeweled teardrops were encrusted in her eyes, and she beamed a tired but gentle smile at him. Hippo was about to remove her hand from his face, but discovered that his hands passed through her arm. Thoroughly transparent she was. Yuuri looked slightly embarrassed and withdrew her hand.

Silence.

Then Yuuri spoke.

"I'm so glad I'm able to see your face again,"she whispered, suppressing fresh tears from falling down her face. Her struggles failed, as shining pearls ran down her cheeks.

A soft smile spread across on Hippo's features. "Me too, Yuuri-san..."

A light chuckle escaped from Yuuri's lips, and she leaned to hug Hippo. The boy was startled, for Yuuri was transparent to him but he seemed solid to her. Hippo looked at Yuuri, and judging how her dress was slightly mussed, he assumed that she had been through a lot. She looked slightly tired, but like her normal self as always.

"Yuuri-san, what happened? The last time I saw you-"

A transparent finger fell on Hippo's lips, silencing him. Yuuri's face had been replaced with a sad and serious expression. She closed her eyes with a sheepish smile.

"I know, Hippo-san. But just because I no longer have a form in this world doesn't mean Yuuri's actually gone forever."

Hippo nodded, remembering the new mermaid princess Seira. She wasn't born yet, but she could communicate with Lucia. It was strange how one thing could relate to another. Yuuri delicately removed her finger from Hippo's face.

"But... will I see you again?" Hippo's lime green eyes blurred with a small ray of sadness.

Yuuri looked crestfallen, and answered,"That I do not know. But we'll always be together. Right?"

Hippo's eyes lit up slightly, and he still seemed a bit unhappy. Yuuri stepped closer, gently laying her head across Hippo's shoulder. "Hippo-san?"

"Yes?"

"While I was in the human world... I heard a really beautiful story. Something I'll never forget. A person with a red string tied on her hand would most likely find her destined lover on the other end of the string. Isn't that sweet?"

Hippo allowed his shoulders to relax, and replied,"Yes, Yuuri-san. I agree."

Yuuri blushed from her child-like actions and broke away, tugging a loose strand of her red Medievil-style dress. She finally plucked out a long and slightly curly piece of ruby string from her sleeve, and mysteriously the ends formed into two nooses. The ghostly string fell on his pinky, and Hippo stared at Yuuri, bedazzled. With a chipper smile, Yuuri held up her own pinky. The end of the string connected to Hippo was in a taut ring, snug around her finger.

"See? We're destined for each other,"Yuuri finally spoke. Hippo responded with a smile and a nod. As her body temporarily grew solid, Yuuri's face slightly faltered and leaned towards Hippo for another hug.

"I have to go now,"she whispered. "I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but remember that Yuuri is always with you."

She tilted her head slightly, her face darkening into a shade of cherry red. "Thank you, Hippo-sama.... for being there for Yuuri...."

Now it was Hippo's turn to blush, but he smiled warmly. Yuuri closed her eyes and softly stole a kiss from him and tightly embraced him. Hippo was stunned, but hugged Yuuri back as she vanished slowly into the midnight sky. The last thing he saw were Yuuri's green eyes, glassy from tears, saying that she was sorry to go.

Her soft voice murmured,"Goodbye, Hippo-san..." and it echoed across the sky.

The sickening, lonely feeling washed upon Hippo again, but Yuuri's words reached him. They would meet again. Sometime, some day. He looked at his pinky, and saw that the red string was tied to him. The end of the string had faded into nowhere.

She was right on one thing - they _were_ destined for each other.

With this ray of hope in mind, Hippo set off back into Hotel Pearl Piari with a secret smile pursed on his lips.


End file.
